The Guide: A guide to public schools in Anne Arundel County

Construction continues on the new Crofton High School. (Jerry Jackson / Baltimore Sun)

Several Anne Arundel County schools are undergoing construction and renovation projects, most notably a new Crofton-area high school set to open in September 2020.

It’s been more than 30 years since the county’s built a high school from the ground up. The $135 million building is expected to hold 1,696 students.

Advertisement

Members of the Crofton community spent most of the year watching the moves of a redistricting committee comprised of 18 residents from nine area schools that will be affected by the new high school. The committee, assembled by schools Superintendent George Arlotto, was tasked with deciding which kids will feed into the new high school. The group submitted a recommendation in October and the Board of Education approved a variation of that plan in April.

“This has been the dream of Crofton for the last 40 years, to have a Crofton high school. And now it’s a reality,” said Jonathan Boniface, a member of the redistricting committee and longtime Crofton high school advocate. “The community couldn’t be happier to have their own high school.”

Only freshmen and sophomores will open the new school in 2020, according to schools spokesman Bob Mosier. Juniors will be added during the 2021-2022 school year and seniors in 2022-2023.

School officials have selected Southern High School Principal Kathryn Feuerherd to lead the school. She’ll spend the next year assembling the school’s staff, as well as overseeing the process of choosing the school's official name, colors and mascot.

Considerable advancements have also been made on the overhaul of the Old Mill complex, which houses one high school, two middle schools and more than 4,000 students.

Officials want to finish the Old Mill cluster projects by August 2027. The entire undertaking includes seven different facilities— Quarterfield and Rippling Woods elementary schools; Old Mill Middle School North and Old Mill Middle School South; Center of Applied Technology-North; and Old Mill High School and Old Mill High School West.

The County Council in its fiscal 2020 budget fulfilled requests from the Board of Education and County Executive Steuart Pittman to fund feasibility studies at Quarterfield and Rippling Woods. The council also included $10 million to design the new Old Mill High School West in the upcoming budget.

Old Mill West High School will be built on the former property of Papa John’s Farm.

The 2020 budget also includes funds for continued construction at George Cromwell, Edgewater, Tyler Heights and Richard Henry Lee elementary schools — a total of $64.3 million. County officials allotted $784,000 for a feasibility study of Hillsmere Elementary School in Annapolis.

And, in the western part of the county, Meade High School will undergo a major revitalization project — which will include a new 40-by-80-foot outdoor courtyard and naturally lit, flexible teaching spaces, according to the schematic design. The final phase of that project is expected to be finished in 2024.

In the year since shots rang out at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, school district officials in Anne Arundel County have worked to bolster school security. Most schools have already installed double-barrier entryways, which school officials say provides students and staff with an extra layer of security.; eventually, every school building in the county will have them.

The school system has also added 10 more resource officers and introduced first aid supplies for “mass casualty” events. The Board of Education this past budget cycle pushed for more mental health resources in schools, a campaign that convinced the County Council to provide funds for more school counselor, psychologist and social worker positions.

The budget, which also includes security upgrades, capital improvements and more resources for the county’s growing population of non-English speaking students, represents a significant investment in education by the county, said school board member Julie Hummer.

“I am grateful that the board, the Council and the County Executive are all united in moving the school system forward with this historic budget,” Hummer said about the spending plan.

Advertisement

In south county, the repurposed Carrie Weedon Early Education Center opened its doors this past school year. Principal Shirlette Boysaw opened the school as part of the district’s mission to expand early education opportunities. Carrie Weedon joins the Ferndale and West Meade early education centers.